Kestrel
Flashaholic
[Imported from the prior forum - Dec 2012]
After reading some of the online guides for building the 'Altoids tin'-type alcohol stoves, I wanted to give it a try. Furthermore, if I gave it a pretty good test at home, I'd have a better idea of its capabilities and limitations when in the field. I've used the various 'white gas' stoves over the years and wanted to try something a bit more minimalist.
I found a small donor can out hiking one day, it's smaller than the standards Altoids tins, measuring only 2" x 3". Since its lid is completely detachable, I figured it would be a perfect candidate to pair with a basic ~$6 sheet-metal solid-fuel stove.
Garden-variety perlite, sieved to get rid of the fines. A #6 sieve worked well.
A window screen from Habitat for Humanity ($3), one advantage being that it was an older screen with the metal mesh being somewhat on the heavy side.
Tracing the outline and cutting the mesh:
The finished stove weighs 31.5 grams, or 1.1 ounces.
The test equipment:
(w/ 2 cups of water, a generous amount for one persons' hot drink)
In the backyard:
First test run (without a windscreen):
Water temperature was 65 degrees F. Ambient temperature was 58 degrees F, with a bit of a breeze.
A single 35mm film canister (~0.8 ounces) of methanol burned for 10 minutes and took the 2 cups of water to only 155 degrees F, not hot enough. After the stove went out, a second cap of methanol got the water to boiling after three more minutes.
Second test run (with a windscreen):
One cap of methanol boiled the 2 cups of water in only 6 minutes, less than half of the time compared to not having a windscreen. Peppermint tea from the first test was enjoyed during the second test.
Third test run (with 3 cups of water, enough for two 12-ounce travel mugs):
One capful of methanol raised the water to 170 degrees F, not enough even with the windscreen - a second capful would be needed to boil the larger quantity of water.
At the end of the test, there were only four very tiny 'hot points' on the underlying plastic bucket lid - I would have no concerns about heat damage from having this stove on most any non-cosmetic surface.
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To conclude this experiment, while this basic stove works well for preparing a hot drink for one person (as long as a windscreen is used), it is somewhat less convenient for two people, requiring a stove refill part of the way through the run for the larger quantity of water.
So for most part, I'd rate this stove as useful. It's a significant upgrade from having to burn those nasty hexamine solid fuel tablets, and for light duty its convenience is tops. But I'm not baking a potato in mine anytime soon.
---------------
Edit: Please let me know if these pics above are problematic for any viewers - they are a 'roundabout' import from the archived thread - I can reimport them directly from my PB account when I have some extra time. Thanks,
After reading some of the online guides for building the 'Altoids tin'-type alcohol stoves, I wanted to give it a try. Furthermore, if I gave it a pretty good test at home, I'd have a better idea of its capabilities and limitations when in the field. I've used the various 'white gas' stoves over the years and wanted to try something a bit more minimalist.
I found a small donor can out hiking one day, it's smaller than the standards Altoids tins, measuring only 2" x 3". Since its lid is completely detachable, I figured it would be a perfect candidate to pair with a basic ~$6 sheet-metal solid-fuel stove.
Garden-variety perlite, sieved to get rid of the fines. A #6 sieve worked well.
A window screen from Habitat for Humanity ($3), one advantage being that it was an older screen with the metal mesh being somewhat on the heavy side.
Tracing the outline and cutting the mesh:
The finished stove weighs 31.5 grams, or 1.1 ounces.
The test equipment:
(w/ 2 cups of water, a generous amount for one persons' hot drink)
In the backyard:
First test run (without a windscreen):
Water temperature was 65 degrees F. Ambient temperature was 58 degrees F, with a bit of a breeze.
A single 35mm film canister (~0.8 ounces) of methanol burned for 10 minutes and took the 2 cups of water to only 155 degrees F, not hot enough. After the stove went out, a second cap of methanol got the water to boiling after three more minutes.
Second test run (with a windscreen):
One cap of methanol boiled the 2 cups of water in only 6 minutes, less than half of the time compared to not having a windscreen. Peppermint tea from the first test was enjoyed during the second test.
Third test run (with 3 cups of water, enough for two 12-ounce travel mugs):
One capful of methanol raised the water to 170 degrees F, not enough even with the windscreen - a second capful would be needed to boil the larger quantity of water.
At the end of the test, there were only four very tiny 'hot points' on the underlying plastic bucket lid - I would have no concerns about heat damage from having this stove on most any non-cosmetic surface.
----------------------------------------------
To conclude this experiment, while this basic stove works well for preparing a hot drink for one person (as long as a windscreen is used), it is somewhat less convenient for two people, requiring a stove refill part of the way through the run for the larger quantity of water.
So for most part, I'd rate this stove as useful. It's a significant upgrade from having to burn those nasty hexamine solid fuel tablets, and for light duty its convenience is tops. But I'm not baking a potato in mine anytime soon.
---------------
Edit: Please let me know if these pics above are problematic for any viewers - they are a 'roundabout' import from the archived thread - I can reimport them directly from my PB account when I have some extra time. Thanks,
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